For me, when I look at a lot of wrestlers I grew up watching, on some level I expect them to defy the odds. I expect them not to age, not to be worn down by their life choices. At least not as much as "normal" human beings. No one gets that. You look at Shawn, who was notably absent from this piece: he seems to suffer no serious physical deleterious effects of his years of drug abuse. But then, he stopped that stuff at a much younger age and probably didn't seriously abuse for anywhere close to as long.

A man Hall's size, even if he takes great care of himself, probably doesn't live to be 80-something years old. But in Scott's case it'd be a miracle if he lived another five years. I sure hope he does. What else can any of us do besides hope he does?

Originally posted by TheOldMan When I said that they re-created the indy show scene, I figured there was no way they could have had cameras that close. On watching the segment, it sure looks like that was original footage after all - someone would have to correct me if that's just some editing trickeration.

But if ESPN had a crew at that event, I think that changes how you look at the piece, doesn't it? I feel like I'm getting worked here.

The Massachusetts show was taped for a PPV (maybe iPPV?), so that's the promotion's footage. I would assume the scene at the very end is ESPN filming.

I'm not even a particular fan of Hall, but that was a disturbing piece to watch, especially for the sake of his children. No, I'd never heard either that he killed a man, though I get a sense that there's far more going on with Hall than that incident, which is bad enough.

For once (and I've read his whole self-serving book) I'm actually inclined to give Bischoff the benefit of the doubt when he passes the buck. The rest of the Kliq isn't exactly in the pink of health, but obviously there's no comparison. TEN attempts at rehab? Holy mackerel.

I think this was the first time the whole murder thing had been made public. Over the past couple of years Kevin Nash has referred to something in Hall's past that plays/played a big part in his problems but would never say exactly what it was. A lot of people assumed he has been molested/abused as a child but this is obviously what he was talking about.

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I say all the time in these type of threads. I can't understand for the life of me why anyone would want to be a professional wrestler. The business just chews you up and wrecks you. It's to the point i can't even watch wrestling anymore, because I know these guys are paying an incredible price.

Originally posted by TheOldManI have no idea about the unnamed(?) wrestling fan in the room at the gimmicky story meeting who was behind this.

Like Whattaburger, I also recognized the name Shaun Assael. He wrote Sex, Lies & Headlocks, which I never read but had the reputation of being strong in accumulated facts but weak in analysis.

Cody Hall would seem to have any easy in to WWE developmental since the first qualification on their flowchart is "are you the son of a former wrestling star? Yes -> Signed." Sadly TMZ says "Scott's ex-wife Dana tells TMZ, the reunion in May barely lasted a month -- and once again, the two are no longer on speaking terms. We're told Cody gave up on his dad due to 'constant verbal abuse from Scott while he was binging' -- and he soon moved back home with his mom. We're told Cody has no current plans to continue wrestling."

As terrible as all this is, I think Ric Flair's story depresses me more. I think it's because Hall seems to have accepted who he is and what he has become, while Nature Boy seems to be in denial and doesn't realize what a jackass he is.

I wonder what Vince would have done with him if Hall hadn't pitched the Scarface-like "Bad Guy" character to him. He played that so well, yet I remember being so irritated by his slooower....than...molasses speech pattern.

With the internet and knowing everything about everybody, I'm surprised this shooting thing has been kept so secret until now.

Seems Hall has accepted his demise.He mentioned both his parents and his grandparents were alcoholics so he seems to feel it was inevitable he would end up one too.And then he said Cody had everything going, except being his son. I can actually imagine that this would weigh against him if he had tried out with WWE.

And yet, despite all the crap and terrible condition he is in, Hall came across as a smart guy who just took some terrible decisions and was forced by life to suffer for it.I don't know if he plays it like that or not.

They weren't lying when they said he was one of the big stars of the 90s. In my mind, Razor created the 'cool heel' persona. He could go in the ring, he oozed charisma.

Originally posted by TheOldManI have no idea about the unnamed(?) wrestling fan in the room at the gimmicky story meeting who was behind this.

Like Whattaburger, I also recognized the name Shaun Assael. He wrote Sex, Lies & Headlocks, which I never read but had the reputation of being strong in accumulated facts but weak in analysis.

Cody Hall would seem to have any easy in to WWE developmental since the first qualification on their flowchart is "are you the son of a former wrestling star? Yes -> Signed." Sadly TMZ says "Scott's ex-wife Dana tells TMZ, the reunion in May barely lasted a month -- and once again, the two are no longer on speaking terms. We're told Cody gave up on his dad due to 'constant verbal abuse from Scott while he was binging' -- and he soon moved back home with his mom. We're told Cody has no current plans to continue wrestling."

Probably a blessing in disguise. If he has any genetic tendencies towards addiction, wrestling is the LAST business he should be in.

Originally posted by ScottyflamingoProbably a blessing in disguise. If he has any genetic tendencies towards addiction, wrestling is the LAST business he should be in.

I'd say showbiz in general; neither Amy Winehouse nor John Belushi ever set foot in a wrestling ring as far as I can tell.

Then again, if the tendencies toward addiction are genetic, would it matter what business you were in? If Scott Hall never made fame and bagged groceries for a living, what's to say he wouldn't have the same problems? It's easy to point at the lifestyle of being in the public eye and say "that's what drove them to it". They're in the public eye. The guy cooking your steak at Outback, the girl ringing you up at J.C. Penney, your mailman, your garbage man, firefighters, etc. all have the same odds of collapse due to drugs and booze as any famous person, we just don't see it. That's just my two cents.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Frown and the world laughs at you."-Me.

I would imagine that show business, wrestling in particular, has an active culture that revolves around drugs. While you aren't wrong about dispositions toward addiction, being in a setting where drugs are passed around like candy has to be a contributing factor.

Originally posted by AlexI would imagine that show business, wrestling in particular, has an active culture that revolves around drugs. While you aren't wrong about dispositions toward addiction, being in a setting where drugs are passed around like candy has to be a contributing factor.

That, and the fact that a professional wrestler almost certainly will need to take fairly powerful painkillers fairly often, if nothing else.

Of course there are no guarantees in any profession, but some probably make the odds worse than others.

Scott Hall is someone that I really took for granted all the while I've watched Pro Wrestling, but looking back... he was indispensable to all my great WCW memories and the old WWF stuff that I watched as a lil kid in Ecuador (who knows how long after its original broadcast)

What are the odds he can actually find peace though? What are the odds that even if he cleans up his act, he won't just die anyway like Eddie?